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Ace and Mara Attempt a Break-In
Log Title: Ace and Mara Attempt a Break-In Characters: Ace, Mara Location: Australia Date: March 17, 2009 TP: Cobra: Drone TP Category:2009 Category:Logs As Logged by Ace - Tuesday, March 17, 2009, 10:44 PM ---- Desert - Australia This is the Red Centre, the desert interior of the continent of Australia. Red earth and sand abound here, as do dry salt-lakebeds. Getting lost in these parts is generally a death sentence, as there is no fresh water for kilometers. Famous locations within the Red Centre include Uluru and Kata Tjuta, better known as Ayers Rock and the Olgas, Alice Springs, Coober Pedy and Lake Eyre. Contents: * Mara * Woomera Test Facility - Australia Mara sits quietly on her bed at the hotel, looking around slowly and checking her outfit. Ace comes out of the bathroom in head-to-toe black, looking slightly rediculus in the soft light of the hotel room. Mara glances up in her own black suit, cocking her head and laughing softly. "My, we look so unsuspicious to be leaving the hotel looking like this..." Ace grins. "Well, this might be good practice. If we can't even get out of the hotel without being spotted, we probably shouldn't even attempt a high-security research facility," he laughs. Mara laughs a little and shrugs slightly. "Suppose so..." Ace says, "Service elevator? Or should we try rappelling out the window?" Behind his mask, Ace's bright eyes twinkle in amused excitement. Mara laughs a little. "Out the window I'd think, if we're in a dark spot. Otherwise its a gamble either way." Ace nods, and walks over to the window, drawing open the curtains and examining the window itself as well as the lot below. Mara nods just a ltitle as well, lookign at the window at its opened, interestedly. Ace says, "Well, we're in luck. The windows open enough to let us out, and it looks pretty deserted and quiet below." He grabs his duffel and withdraws a length of thin but resilient line. "A gentlemen always packs sturdy rope when checking into a hotel with a lady." He smirks behind his mask, attaching the rope securely inside the room. Mara laughs a little at that and nods, walking up tothe rope. Ace says, "Now, what's the etiquette here? 'Ladies first'? That might not be the most polite option if I've not tied the rope well enough... Want me to go first?" Mara smiles and shrugs. "Well, it won't be any better if your weight loosens the rope before I go down either, I suppose, so..." She shrugs. "Whichever." Ace says, "Well, then, you shimmy down first, and I'll guide and hold the rope, just in case. Not that I'm not confident in my rope skills, but you can never be too careful. Plus, this way if I fall, you can catch me!" He chuckles. Mara laughs a little bit and nods, hopping onto the rope and starting to slide down. "Right..." Ace lowers the rope, and steps away from the window. He watches Mara descend, holding the end of the rope and monitoring both. Mara slides down, trying to be expedient without being careless. Ace glances around, taking in the parking lot and surrounding area. Mara glances around as well, trying to spot anyone who might see them. Ace glances around again as Mara touches down several floors below. Since all looks quiet, he makes sure the hotel room door is locked and all the lights are out (with the Do Not Disturb sign up to discourage housekeeping), and then he slithers down the rope, leaving the window slightly ajar so they can get back in. He touches down next to Mara without much difficulty. He secures the line to the side of the building in a manner he hopes won't be casually noticed in the dark before the two of them return. Mara nods quickly and watches, waiting to move out. Ace looks around again, and nods to himself. "So far, so good," he says quietly, his manner getting more professional and serious now that they've left the hotel room. Mara nods quickly and quietly, peering around again. "Just hope it stays that way." Ace nods crisply. "Well, let's move out before we're spotted." He makes his way towards his rental car. Mara nods and moves for the car as well, keeping very aware of the situation around her for now. Ace slips into the car and starts it, leaving the headlights off. He's already disengaged the interior dome light, so it doesn't come on when either of them enter the car. Mara slips in as well, watching and biting her lip in a slightly nervous manner. Ace pulls the car out of the hotel lot, and doesn't turn on the lights until they're several blocks away. Mara watches on, looking out for any traffic that might not see them, and might cause a minor incident. Ace drives dark as confidently as he flies, and before flicking the headlights on he removes his ski mask and gives Mara a reassuring smile. Mara laughs and relaxes, taking her own mask off for the moment and stretching. Once on the highway, Ace drives more normally, taking them out into the cool desert night. Mara watches on quietly, looking around as the driving goes on. Very quickly the small city falls away, and the dark horizon stretches empty for miles all around them. Ace's voice is quiet, even within the confines of the car. "Now, security has calmed down some since the Cobra attack. I think we can get in, get what we need, and get out without being caught. However, if we are spotted, split up and head back to the car. Obviously, do not use deadly force against any security personnel we encounter -- these aren't Cobra. They're just people doing their jobs." Mara nods just a little bit at that. "Right." Ace says, "In the worst case scenerio I have a taser with me, but I'm really hoping it doesn't come to that." He drives them both closer to Woomera Holdings, who acquired the rights to whatever was left after the attack on QinetiQ Systems' laboratory in Fishermans Bend. Mara relaxes and nods just a little bit. "Hopefully not." Ace shuts the headlights back off as them approach the holding company, finally pulling far off the road several miles from the site itself. Mara slips her mask back down, biting her lip slightly and looking in the direction of the site. Ace shuts off the car and pulls his own mask back on as the engine ticks. "You have enough water? You going to be OK for a hike?" Mara nods just a little bit. "I'll be fine..." Ace nods again. "OK. Just checking." Opening the driver's side door, Ace steps out of the car. Mara smiles and slips out as well, checking herself over. Ace looks Mara over as well. "Looking good," he says quietly. "Ready to move out?" He double-checks all his equipment, making sure it's secured to his body and doesn't rattle. Mara laughs a little and nods. "Lets get going. We don't have all night." Ace nods. "Right. Let's go." He heads off towards the compound in a fast but near-silent jog. Mara nods, trying to jog/move as silently as she possibly can. Ace glances back quickly, setting an even pace and getting them both to the perimeter fence surprisingly quickly. He stops just shy of it, looking it over without touching. "Lot of security for a technology holding company," he comments. Mara keeps pace quietly,glancing around at everything. Ace mutters to Mara, "These are pretty high-tech guys, which is why we're here. We'll have to be wary of high-tech means of detection." Mara nods just a little bit at that. "Definitely." Ace takes a small device off his belt, and scans the area near the fence. Mara watches that and cocks her head, looking around the fence quietly. Ace hms. "Pretty advanced heat and motion detectors. This isn't going to be easy." He unrolls a small pouch of tools. Mara onds a little and looks it over. "Right..." Ace says winningly, "We have stealth suits back at the Pit that could bypass this without a problem, but I was hoping we wouldn't have to take this route to get in. So much for my vaunted luck." He pulls out small clips and wires, and moves verrrrrry slowly towards the fence. FOOM! Security lights flash on along this strip of desert near the fence. Ace curses. "Pull back! Pull back!" He beats feet out of the range of the lights. Mara tries to pull back as wel, hurrying Ace moves a fair distance back, and watches anxiously along the fence perimeter. Mara keeps moving back, trying to find somewhere that'll be properly shaded even if a light is shined, so she isn't discovered. Ace waits for Mara to find a good spot, and moves close enough to be communicating distance without giving Mara's position away. He mutters to Mara, "With any luck at all, they'll assume the sensor was tripped by a desert animal, and ignore it." A few minutes later, several guards can be seen walking along the fence, shining flashlights into the darkness outside the pools of security lights. Ace mutters to Mara, "Well, so much for that idea as well..." Mara sighs a little at that as well. "Yeah, so much for that." Ace hunkers down, trying to avoid the flashlight beams at the security guards get closer. He mutters to Mara, "Yeah. We might have to come back tomorrow night better equipped." Mara nods just a little at that, trying to make sure she's fully covered. "Yeah..." Ace nods, slipping down behind a small outcropping until the guards pass. Mara slips down as well, waiting quietly. Once the guards are safely past, Ace stands again, and heads back to the car. His walk is stiff and tense, lacking his usual relaxed ease. Mara stands up and walks quietly for the car as well, sighing. Ace unlocks the car and gets in, sitting behind the wheel and sighing. Mara slips in the other seat and relaxes. Ace is still tense, and takes a moment to compose himself before starting the car and driving back to the road, lights still off. Mara watches that, frowning a little bit Ace drives back to the city stiffly, pulling off his mask and flinging it into the back seat in frustration. Mara sighs and takes hers off as wel. "Well, that sucked." Ace says, "Yeah." He belatedly turns the car lights back on as they approach your hotel. "Obviously we're going to need a little more gear and preparation if we're going to try to break in ourselves. Snake-Eyes we are not." He pulls the car into the same spot it was in before. The hotel lot still looks deserted. He parks the car and turns off the engine again, staring at the dashboard a moment. All of Ace's easy charm is missing. Apparently he's not one who deals well with frustration. Mara glances to Ace and frowns, nodding and slipping back to the rope, to climb up. Ace locks up the car and follows Mara. "Rope's here at least." He sounds crabby. He waits for Mara to reach the top before climbing up after her. Mara sighs and nods slghtly, climbing into the room quietly. "At least." Ace follows Mara into the room, retrieving the rope and slamming the window. He tosses his gear aside, stripping out of his armor and combat webbing. Mara strips off her own gear, sighing and throwing herself onto the bed, stretching out. Ace strips down to his T-shirt and black fatigue pants, and sits on the other bed. "So much for our illustrious career in corporate espionage." He grins over at Mara, his sense of humor returning. Mara rolls her eyes and peels some more clothing off, laying out. "Yeah...." Ace watches Mara strip and stretch, the view helping to restore his good mood. Mara laughs at being watched, trying to be slightly showy, even if it makes her start laughing a little bit. Ace chuckles as well, pulling off his boots. "Maybe I should leave the infil to Jinx, and go back to trying to get help through my wits and charm, which never fail me," he chuckles. Mara laughs a little at that and nods. "Might be an idea..." She shrugs. Ace gets his boots off and stares at his stockinged feet for a moment, considering. Mara glances over and cocks her head. "Hm?" Ace looks up. "Oh. Nothing." His eyes flick over Mara, and he seems to lose track of what he was going to say. Mara laughs and raises her eyebrows slightly. "Ah..." Ace smiles sheepishly. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?" He runs his hands through his short sandy hair. Mara laughs and shrugs a little bit. "I didn't really say anything." Ace says, "Ah. OK." He stands, and disappears into the bathroom, getting ready for bed. Mara nods justa little bit, slipping into bed herself. Ace returns from the bathroom in flannel PJs with little jets on them. He bids Mara goodnight, slips into his own bed, and clicks off the lights.